Social Network Analysis – Survivor: David vs. Goliath Ep4

Season 37 of Survivor is shaping up to be a tough season with another shock departure. Bi was forced to leave the game due to a torn MCL.

As predicted a tribe swap shakes up the game but not quite as expected. There are now 3 tribes, Jabeni (purple), Vuku (orange), Tiva (green) which should add in some interesting features to the graph. Previously I said the original tribe colours will be used for simplicity however it’s useful to see where castaways moved to and who they are playing with after the swap.

We saw the new Vuku tribe lose the immunity challenge and have a date with tribal council. It seemed like a straight forward vote with three Goliaths and two Davids on the tribe. Initially votes were headed towards Elizabeth but some impromptu whispers from Alec flipped the vote and Natalia was sent home in a epic blindside. Davie took a huge risk not playing his idol!

The alliance graph

Here’s how the graph is shaping up. Interestingly, how it has played out so far, there hasn’t been a single pair that have voted together more than once. But that’s sure to change in the coming weeks. Also, it’s interesting that the three people that voted out Natalia were from the 3 alliances as defined by the graph. There are clear partitions with the most fragmented being Elizabeth, Davie and Alec. Carl is looking a little isolated out there after spending the night on Exile. Kara is also on the out from her new tribe after the vote.

Those in the second alliance will need to make some new friends since both Christian and Gabby, and Lyrsa and Nick are out numbered in their respective tribes.

It’s important to note that the ‘alliances’ as defined by the algorithms are different from the true alliances. However observing who vote together should be a very strong predictor. As the season continues we’ll see the graph evolve and it’s already showing the clear state of play. For more details on the graph see my previous post